TEJAS Planes Deal: On November 30, the Ministry of Defence will discuss the purchase of 97 TEJAS MK-1A aircraft and the duty of modernising 84 Sukhoi 30 fighter jets at the Defence Acquisition Council meeting. These two projects, which would each cost Rs 1.4 lakh crore, are the Air Force’s largest-ever plans to overhaul its fleet.
A plan to update the fleet of workhorse Su-30MKI fighter jets with new avionics, radars, and electronic warfare suites is in the works.
TEJAS Planes Deal
As a contemporary fighter aircraft with four or more generations, the TEJAS MK-1A, also referred to as Tejas, is notable for having more than 65% indigenous parts. Its Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, which was developed domestically, its Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile capabilities, its advanced Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, and its capacity for Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) are some of its noteworthy features.
The Air Force’s greatest upgrade effort, slated to upgrade 84 Sukhoi 30 fighter jets, is a significant step forward. Notably, the nation would handle every step of the fighter jets’ upgrade programme.
An initial procurement of 272 Su-30 aircraft from Russia provided the Indian Air Force with a vital component of its fighter fleet. A recent development involved the approval of an extra order of ₹11,000 crore for 12 Su-30MKI jets. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) would produce these aircraft with more than 50% local content.
